Techniques in Home Winemaking is a resource for home winemakers looking for information or help on making great wines, including troubleshooting winemaking problems, and to share that knowledge with fellow winemakers. This resource is based and builds on my book by the same title and my newly released book titled Modern Home Winemaking, which has been updated to reflect the newest techniques and products for making outstanding wines.
Much of my experience is derived from extensive literature search as well as from my experience both as a home and a commercial winemaker.
Click here if interested in ordering signed copies of my books.
Check out Modern Home Winemaking on Facebook too.
Hello Daniel – Thanks for your response. Here are a few more details. Started with approx. 100#’s of grapes. Monday: Crushed to approx. 10 gallons of crush. I sulphited after the crush. There was some rot present so I went on the high side, approx. 1/2 tsp per 5 gallon. Then I pressed to approx. 5.5 gal of juice. I added 0.46 grams of Lallzyme C-max to aid clearing and 11.5 grams of Opti white. covered with cheesecloth and a loose lid. Tue eve racked off the solids and pitched the BM 4×4. Thu repitched the BM 4 x 4, Sat I racked again before pitching the EC-1118. Did I over Sulphite after the crush – wouldn’t it have gassed off sufficiently by Sat eve after racking? If still to high – what can I do at this point? What is too high – I have some of the titrates so I can check. Thanks Pete
Hello Daniel – If over-sulphited can I dilute with white wine concentrate and water? I’m trying to rescue.
Stirring will dissipate free SO2, but also add oxygen. You should only do this if you can confirm that the must is over-sulfited.
Still nothing? Did you try raising the temperature?
i would typically suggest preparing a starter culture and then adding must to it in small amounts as fermentation kicks in, but you already have a lot of yeast in there, and it should have started with EC-1118.
I don’t know. Give the starter suggestion a try using EC-1118.
Thanks Daniel – what sulphite level would be considered too high, are some yeasts more sensitive than others?
Yes, different yeasts have different tolerances to SO2. Unless you are above 100 mg/L, it shouldn’t be a problem.
The yeast culture got it going.
TGIF – Thank god it’s fermenting!!
Thanks for your help.
Bravo!! Phew!!!!
Hi Daniel, My pinot noir test 0 and the cap has not fallen and the temp in the vessel is still at 75F. When the cap falls is that an indication that primary fermentation is complete? If I do an extended maceration how many days before pressing and should I cool it during the extended maceration? My pinot gris is 21.5B and ph is 3.1. Is the ph too low to start fermentation? I pressed and added enzymes today and put it in the cooler at 50F and gave it a dose of CO2. Tomorrow will rack of the solids and ferment. Thanks for your help, Mike
Hi Mike,
The cap should fall anytime now and the temperature will start dropping. I would give it another day or so to let it ferment completely dry, making sure to still stir thoroughly once or twice a day.
If you want to do an extended maceration, you need to be able to drop the temperature to about 5C/41F and maintain it there; that is not easy in home winemaking.
The pH on the Pinot Gris is fine. The other important question is what is the TA? If it is high, you need to start planning what to do about it, i.e. do you want to deacidify now (which would raise the pH), or simply balance the acidity with some sugar at bottling. I invariably go with the latter.
Good luck.
Daniel
Thanks for your reply Daniel. Does MLF need to done in the dark? Mike
Trick question? Always keep wine in the dark.
Hi Daniel, my pinot gris is 50 F in the cooler and has been there for 24 hrs. I added Lallzyme cuvee blanc after the SO2 yesterday also. I will rack off the solids now and my question is do I need to add calcium benotite as a finning agent now. I will add FT Blanc soft fermentation tannin and Opti white tomorrow also and hydrate my yeast with go-ferm and add fermaid-K at first sign of fermentation and then fermaid O after 8 to 10 Brix is consumed. I can ferment at 50 or 55F; what temp is best and is this formula ok for chardonnay grapes also. Thanks again for your help in making wine form my grapes. Mike Mosesian
Hi Mike,
No, you don’t need to add bentonite at this stage. Some winemakers do, I never do. You would need to test and quantify turbidity to determine if you would need to add bentonite. I like to ferment my whites fairly cold; 50F is good. I would do the same for a fruity Chardonnay.
Good luck.
Daniel
High PH 4.0 and High TA 7.8, I just finished primary fermentation on Lodi Syrah grapes, currently performing MLF. I’m expecting the TA to reduce to about 6.5 after MLF, I’m real concerned about how to manage the PH level, your book indicated that phosphoric acid could be a solution. Not sure I want to go that route, however I’m concerned with the high PH and spoilage. FYI, I’m following the recipe in the wine maker magazine top 25. Can you help put some perspective vis a vis acceptable PH and Phosphoric acid. Recipe indicates a PH of 3.7 is acceptable. Much appreciated.
Dan
I have had many great wines with pH above 4.0. Personally, I would not play with pH, even as it creeps up during MLF. Just keep FSO2 at the required level. Use the Sulfite Calculator to calculate what you need and how sulfite to add. You’ll be ok that way. Just make sure you work in good sanitary conditions as always, but particularly with this wine.
Good luck.
Daniel
Hi Daniel, while fermenting white wine grapes, is it ok to airlock the fermenting vessel or does the yeast need oxygen.? There is not much to punch down since there are no skins in the must, only some tan matter on top which I stir back into the juice. Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
I put an airlock and let it ferment with only an occasional stir. The initially stir already provides plenty of oxygen. If you stir during fermentation, that too may add a little oxygen.
Daniel
Hi Daniel, during MLF of red wine should I stir up the lees and if so how often, Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
Lactic acid bacteria used for MLF are typically sensitive to oxygen. You can stir once daily BUT VERY VERY GENTLY. Personally I don’t do it. What you could do is, once MLF is complete, sulfite as you would normally, and then stir how long and as many times as you want.
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
When making a red wine from fresh or frozen grapes, when are the recommended dosages for various additions per liter of must versus per liter of estimated juice (i.e., the wine that pressing will yield)?
I’ve assumed that:
*Chapitalization (sugar) and acidification (tartaric acid) is per liter of estimated juice.
*Products like OptiRed, FT Rouge, and Lallzyme Ex are per liter of must.
*I’ve also tended to add grams of yeast (and corresponding Go Ferm), Fermaid K, and sulfite at crush per liter of must.
I have never run into any problems, but planning a recent vintage left me questioning whether I was miscalculating doses.
Thank you!
Hi Craig,
Personally, I estimate my yield for each variety at crush and then calculate additions based on those volumes, only because I know my yields fairly well. Sure, I then make small adjustments when/where necessary. Otherwise, the way it is usually done is by weight, for example, xx mg of such and such a product for every 100 kg of fruit.
Daniel
Hi Daniel, my pinot gris is now at 0 brix on my hydrometer and at 52F. Should I let it go a little longer until it gets to minus 1 or 2 and then rack it? Would you do MLF on it? Also would you suggest the addition of oak and sulfite? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
It is NOT dry until it hits about -1.5 Brix, so give it a few more days. Then backsweeten to balance acidity according to your taste. Be sure to add sorbate if you do backsweeten. No, no MLF here with Pinot Gris; it will alter the aromas and flavors in not a good way. You also want to preserve all that refreshing acidity. And yes, always sulfite, ALWAYS. A light oaking — and I do mean light — can add some complexity. Go for it.
Daniel
Thanks Daniel, I have some toasted oak chips from a year ago in an opened package; will they be ok, and do I soak in sulfite first and how many grams per liter of chips do I add and when do I remove the chips? Mike
Yes, give them a sulfite rinse followed by a water rinse. Try 1-2 g/L and taste once a week, remove when you’ve hit your taste spot.
HI Daniel, Today will rack the pinot gris off the less and transfer to a glass carboy with some oak. Is 50F ok for storage temp and how many times should I rack of the fine lees? Would you suggest adding Opti white also at this time? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
Try 55F if you can. I know it’s not much of a difference but those few degrees do really slow down the wine’s evolution. And you have a white here for which you’ll probably want to process relatively quickly.
Keep on the lees until you get the flavors and mouthfeel you like, then rack and proceed with clarification (e.g. with bentonite) and cold stabilization. OptiWhite would have been better earlier in the process, so skip that now.
Daniel
Thanks Daniel, so do I rack off the lees today or wait till the flavor improves? I can keep it at 55F. Also should I add sulfite now at 50ppm? Mike
Taste the wine and rack when you like it. You’ll need to stir once a day. Make sure we’re dealing with FINE lees here, not gross lees; otherwise you will get some stinky hydrogen sulfide. From this point on, you should always maintain an adequate free SO2 level based on your wine pH. Check every 3 months and adjust as needed. Use this Sulfite Calculator to figure out your sulfite additions.
Hi Daniel, I am making chard. wine from grapes. after crushing and S02 addition I added lallzyme cuvee blanc and opt white and after 24 hrs racked off the solids at the bottom of the carboy. I then added Ft Blanc soft fermentation tannins and the temp is 50F. Should I add Lallzyme C-Max now before I introduce the yeast and nutrients? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
First, Opti-White should really be added to settled juice. It’s a product to help with fermentation, and so it is best added to racked juice.
As for the C-Max, I really don’t think you need it. You’re not macerating, just pressing the juice off. Pectins will not be an issue.
Daniel
Hello Daniel. I just wanted some advice on Riesling. I got the fruit from NOTL and the numbers were: Brix = 19 pH = 3.0. TA= 1.0. I crushed and pressed on Oct. 2 and fermentation is complete. My concern is that at this point the wine is quite acidic and doesn’t really have much aroma. It’s quite neutral on the nose and palate. Is this normal for Riesling or did I get some underripe fruit.
Thanks in advance
Vince.
Hi Vince,
Yes, the fruit was underripe though not atypical of NOTL. I would have deacidified prior to fermentation IF I was shooting for a dry-style Riesling. You can do it now. Deacidifying will increase your pH, and your sulfite additions should be done accordingly. Of course, you can always leave the wine as is and then backsweeten to balance the acidity; do it whenever you are ready, but best just before bottling. As for aromas, you really need to give the wine some time to express its full olfactory spectrum. It’s still much too young. It will come around, for sure.
Cheers,
Daniel
Oh yes I did reserve about 15% of the juice for backsweetening. I will let the wine go through cold stabilization then add the sweet reserve for an off dry wine. So my next question is, other than micro filtration or sorbate, is there any other means of preventing renewed fermentation?
Thanks Daniel.
Sorbate is most important. Microfiltration is good but no guarantee unless you ALSO bottled under sterile conditions.
Hi Daniel, I bought a great bottle of Cab. Sauv. and it had a slightly fruity flavor. Do you think they back sweeten to get that nice flavor; It was from St. Jean winery in Nappa. I am thinking how I might improve my Cab by blending something with it. Do you have a suggestion as my Cab is only 12 months old at present? Also on my pinot gris, how long should I go before I rack a second time as its on the minor lees now. Thanks
Hi Mike,
I’m not sure what YOU mean by “fruity flavor.” It’s a hugely overused word, often to mean different things amongst wine drinkers, esp. novices. Sure, anything is possible. There are many wineries who backsweeten their reds to please the North American palate. Personally, I don’t like reds with any kind of residual sugar, but that’s me. I prefer to give my wines the time they need to evolve and grow into their full potential. It’s like telling a 16-year-old, “Ok, you’re ready to work and contribute to society.” No, let him/her go to school and grow into someone bigger and better. As for your Pinot Gris, unless you are stirring the fine lees, you are not getting any benefits, in which case you can rack relatively quickly, fine, cold stabilize, filter and bottle. And here too, I would bulk age.
Good luck.
Daniel
Hi Daniel, red wines that are finished with MLF, and white wine that are thru cold stabilization, and racking,and that are 1 year old, should I add pot. sorbate to them to protect them along with SO2 additions? Also if I run out of topping off wine, may I use store bought wine to top off with. Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
First – AND ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS – never, NEVER add potassium sorbate to a wine that has gone through MLF; it will develop an unpleasant geranium off-odor.
If the wine is totally dry, i.e. less than 2 g/L (0.2%) residual sugar, you don’t need to add potassium sorbate.
Regularly check your SO2 levels and adjust to maintain a level commensurate with your pH.
Yes, of course, you can add store-bought wine to top off carboys and barrels. I prefer to use my own wines from previous vintages from my cellar.
Daniel
Hi Daniel, I tasted my Chard. and Riesling and I like how they turned out. They are at 0 B so I added 50ppm SO2. Will not do MLF, so at zero which means there maybe some sugar still in them, will the SO2 do the job or do I need to add sorbate? Also have Kitosol 40 packages and they suggest adding now as I have not racked off the minor lees in the fermenting carboy. Do you agree with that formula? Next they suggest racking off the sediment and I will store at 55F top off with CO2 and wine and stir daily As always thanks for your help
Hi MIke,
At 0 Brix you’re still at risk of refermentation. 50 ppm SO2 should keep latent yeast in check BUT, once your SO2 runs out (and the rate of SO2 loss and binding depends on the chemistry of the wine, environmental factors, the closure and duration of aging), the probability greatly increases.
Rack before you fine. I’m not sure why they say to stir daily. I say give it a good stir when you add the fining agent and then let settle.
Daniel
Daniel, thanks for your quick response. I will rack first, then add the finning agent as you suggested. After the wine settles, I will again rack off the sediment. With the residual sugar still in the wine at zero brix should I add the sorbate to prevent refermentation? As these white wines age in carboys at 55F, how often should the minor lees be stirred up? Thanks again for your help. Mike
Hi Mike,
I’m assuming you are aging the wine on the lees BEFORE any fining, right? The order of your text suggests otherwise.
Stir the lees once a day (some will do twice, but that depends on the antioxidant power of the wine, you don’t want to overdo it, esp. with a white wine) and then for as many days or weeks as you like. I would taste the wine once a week and see how it is progressing, and rack when you’ve hit your “sweet spot.”
Cheers,
Daniel
Daniel. I have not done the finning yet; how much time of aging on the lees before finning? Is this based upon taste? Will stir lees once a day and taste once a week. Since wine was sulfated at zero brix , should I add the sorbate now? Thanks again for your help. Mike
Yes, when you like the taste, rack the wine and proceed with fining.
I like to add the sorbate as late as possible, ideally at bottling. You just need to ensure that your SO2 is up there until you do add the sorbate. If you just added sulfite recently, you’re good for a while.
Hi Daniel, I have pinot noir that started out at a ph- 3.53 and TA-9.45 @ 24B and now its finished with MLF with a ph -4.01, TA5.0. That seems to be a big change! What do you suggest I do now, rack and store at 55F? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
That is indeed a big change. Most likely you had A LOT of malic acid that got converted during the MLF.
First, taste the wine and see how you like. I think it will be good as the acidity is at a good level. As for the pH, you just need to stay on top of your SO2 levels; never let it drop too much.
You can proceed with normal processing/aging from here on.
Danie
Daniel, yes it was a big drop. what conditions in the vineyard cause tartaric acid to drop or malic acid to form? Maybe I irrigated to much after verasion? Its on the minor lees at present, so I should stir daily and keep topped off and gas with CO2?
Thanks Mike
Malic acid is high at first and then decreases as grapes ripen. It can remain high in a bad vintage when grapes don’t ripen fully. Grapes grown in cool- or cold-climate regions will normally have high malic acid content. There are other viticultural factors that impact malic acid content, such as soil chemistry, irrigation, etc. Tartaric acid content remains relatively constant.
If the wine is aging on the lees, yes, you should stir daily, but I recommend trasnferring the wine into a smaller container or top up the barrel/carboy; otherwise you have to replenish the CO2 every time you open the container and stir the wine. And protection with CO2 is NOT a long-term strategy; only topped up containers and adequately sulfite wine can ensure proper protection and aging.
Daniel
Daniel, how many ppm of SO2 should one add to red wine with a ph of 4.01? At ph of 4.0 its off the charts. Mike
You need about 80 mg/L (ppm) with a molecular SO2 of 0.5 mg/L. Use the Sulfite Calculator at http://winemakermag.com/1301-sulfite-calculator.
Hi Daniel, I am going to back sweeten and bottle some wine soon and I did not save any juice from the crush. Can one add grape concentrate that is sold in 46 ounce cans to back sweeten? I would do a bench trial first to determine the level I like and then add sorbatre also plus correct amount of SO2. Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
Yes, absolutely. Adding juice concentrate is a very common technique.
Daniel
Hi Daniel, I pressed my reds today and they were minus 0.5Brix Should I wait a few days for the sugar to go down more; its been 16 days since yeast was pitched in? Then should I wait 2 days and transfer off the gross lees and then add ML bacteria? Color is good and Cab Sauv tastes great even now! Also can oak cubes be used in the carboy with the MLB and its 2 to 4 grams per liter? Thanks again for your help.
Mike
Hi Mike,
You really need to get it down to -1.5 Brix for it to be completely dry, and you want it completely dry at this point.
I would inoculate for MLF ASAP. Don’t forget nutrients for the bacteria.
You can use oak cubes at any point, but the earlier the better to stabilize color. Use 4 g/L.
Daniel
Daniel; should I add the MLB now or wait till -1.5B? thanks Mike
Add the ML nutrients 48 hours before you inoculate and then inoculate ASAP; you need not wait for Brix to drop further.
Hello Daniel,
I recently adjusted the pH with Tartartic Acid on 5 California Red Varietals that all had high BRIX#’s…most were up in the 4.00 and above pH range. I calculated the amounts of Tartaric needed to bring the wines pH back to the 3.5 range. So far at 24 hrs the pH has not dropped. The wine is still in Malolactic Fermentation and no SO2 has been added but I do plan to give the wine a proper dose of SO2 this week.
My question is should I see the pH change immediately when adding Tartaric Acid, or has it been long enough that the change should have occurred?
Does Tartaric Acid have a shelf like and what is it?
Do you recommend another dose of Tartaric, and should I used half the calculated amount then test to be safe?
Thanks again for your help!
Cheers!
Tom
Hi Tom,
Yes, assuming you have properly stirred in the proper amount of tartaric acid into the wine, you should see the pH drop. The addition should ideally have been done prior to the alcoholic fermentation.
Depending on where your pH actually sits, you might see an increase/decrease in pH, but definitely a change.
I suggest you wait until the MLF is 100% complete before doing any more adjustments.
Tartaric acid is fairly stable, so you should be ok.
And yes, monitor your pH as you add in the tartaric acid just to make sure you don’t overshoot your target just in case you did not calculate properly. It’s straightforward — 1 g/L of tartaric acid adds 1 g/L of TA and drops ph by 0.1.
Good luck.
Daniel
Hi Daniel, since my pinot noir is done with MLF, should I stabilize it with Lysozme and if so, how many grams per gallon? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
You only need sulfite if the MLF completed 100% conversion of malic acid.
Daniel
Daniel, back to my Cab Sauv. that is at 0.5B and now has a ph of 3.59, I am concerned that the ph is going to go way up as my pinot noir did as they both are grown in the same area and soil. The pinot noir started out at 3.53 ph–TA 9.45 and ended up at 4.01 & TA 5.0 post MLF. The Cab taste good now so what would you suggest? Thanks Mike
Don’t do anything, esp. if it tastes good. Run pH/TA numbers after the MLF and then we’ll see.
Daniel, I have not added an ML bacteria or nutrients yet; You said don’t do anything, does that mean don’t add any ML bacteria or nutrients? Thanks Mike
Sorry, I was not clear. I meant don’t do anything to want to change TA/pH, but do proceed with the MLF. After the MLF, run TA/pH measurements and then see what, if anything, needs to be done to address those.
Thanks Daniel for your response .
Hi Daniel, In reference to white wines that have completed fermentation from grapes, should one rack off the lees since they are minor at this point? Thanks Mike
Typically yes unless you are making a richer, creamier, sur-lie style wine.
can you tell me iv done some marrow wine which asked for some brown sugger been fermenting very very slowly for 2 months still not half way to finishing when baubles are 1 every 2 mins is it still fermenting tastes very sweet
You are probably fermenting at too cool of a temperature, not provided enough yeatt nutrients, used a weak yeast, or a combination of any of these. You need to figure out which, fix it, and let the wine ferment to dryness, i.e. the point when there is no more sugar.
Hi Daniel, I am getting ready to bottle Chard and Riesling wine that is a year old and has had cold stabilization. I read in your book on page 286 about heat stability and did the test. My 2 samples did throw some precipitation, but no haze. The wine is stored at 55F. I do have a Buon Vino mini jet filter with #1,2,&3 pads. Can you suggest a pre bottling treatment if necessary. Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
It sounds like you need to do a bentonite treatment, even if storing the wine cool, as a precaution. Had you not done one yet? After the bentonite treatment, you will need to cold stabilize again as bentonite can change tartrate stability. The bentonite treatment may take 3 weeks, maybe more. If the wine is clear, you can then filter using #2 pads followed by #3; if it is not perfectly clear (which means you have not waited long enough), you will need to filter using #1 pads (you might be pulling your hair here, hence why I suggest you wait for the wine to be very clear from the bentonite treatment.
Daniel
Thanks Daniel, I have not done a bentonite treatment. The wine is now clear, however. Mike
A perfectly clear wine does not mean it is protein (heat) stable.
Hi Daniel, I have 2 products for finning.—, Kitosol 40, a 2 part agent for finning and clarifier and Dualfine which is a 2 part packet of chitosan and another of kieselol. Which would you suggest to use to in place of bentonite which I do not have as of yet. How soon do you do the Lysozyme addition? Also I was going to back sweeten some white wine that did go thru MLF so I cannot use sorbate. Will SO2 by itself do the job? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
Both fining agents are fine (no pun intended). Only use lysozyme if you have residual malic acid. Add it when you add suflite to stabilize the wie post MLF. SO2 won’t be sufficient to keep yeast from refermenting sugar. If you never did add bacteria for MLF and it never did start MLF, you’re ok with sorbate. Otherwise, you can up your SO2 but it’s not guarantee. Commercial wineries perform a sterile filtration, but they also bottle under sterile conditions, which you won’t be able to do.
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
I will be using store bought wine to top off my carboys and since my Chard has gone thru MLF, how will I know if the store wine may have been treated with K-Sorbate? I am assuming that red wine in the store did not have sorbate added since it also had gone thru MLF?
Hi Mike,
There are never any guarantees unless you test the wine you buy. I don’t know the source (region) of the wine, and winemaking laws vary greatly from one winemaking region to another. That being said, the use of sorbate is quite uncommon in commercial winemaking as wineries can sterile filter/bottle … unless it is a small artisan winery, then everything is possible. I always prefer to use my own wines for topping as I know exactly what I’m dealing with.
Daniel
Hi Daniel.
I added ML bacteria to my red wine which was not racked after pressing via a bladder press ( which has a coarse cloth filter). Should I have racked it once and then added ML bacteria?
Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
I usually rack before MLF only because I know from my experience that my MLF can last weeks and even months, and that could well cause H2S to form from leaving the wine on the gross lees for an extended period of time.
ML bacteria can be sensitive to excessive oxygen if you rack now, so don’t. Just make sure your MLF happens as quickly as possible.
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
I tested for Malic acid and there is none. Can I do the cold treatment now as outside temps are just right? Red and whites have just been racked also. Thanks Mike
You need to fine before cold stabilization, if you will be fining. Fining, esp. with bentonite, can change tartrate stability.
Hi Daniel,
Should I daily stir the lees first on this very young wine (if so for how long) or fine with bentonite or Kitosol now.
Thanks Mike
Age on the lees for as long as you want as per your taste. Stir once daily. Then let settle, rack and then fine.
I have your book as 1 of a few resources and I have run in to a problem. I bought and crushed 100lbs of old vine zin grapes from Lodi. Primary went fine and fermented down to 0 . I ended up splitting the batch in to 1 5 gallon and 2 1 gal bottles. The 5 gallon mal seemed to start and went well for about 1 week or so. The 2 1 gal never seemed to get going in the mal. I added mal bact wlp675 to the 2 1 gal jugs and nothing really changed. That was 16 Oct. I checked the ph and ta on all 3 and they are as follows: 4.45 / .7, 4.44 / .7 and 4.56 / .5. When I looked in to the containers it appeared that there were a few small “floaties’, very few. It tastes sort of bitter. My questions is, can it be saved? It is my first foray in to grapes from kits in the past.
Sounds like you’ve run into a problem because of my book. LOL
There are a few things here I’m wondering about based on the info you provide.
1. How do you know there has been any malo activity? Are you using paper chromatography or simply by visuals and checking for bubbles? If it’s the latter, it’s not a reliable method. You need to buy a paper chromatography kit and learn how to test for malo progress.
2. Did you add any nutrients with the malo bacteria? That would help.
3. Your pH numbers are really high, and I’m wondering if you are using the pH meter correctly or if it’s out of calibration. If those are indeed the numbers, they are dangerously high. Microorganisms thrive at higher pH. And if pH is indeed that high (and I doubt it), the longer you wait for the malo to complete (it’s been a month now), the greater the risk of spoilage. You need to get the malo completed ASAP so that you can add SO2 to protect the wines.
The small floaties can be grape particles, I don’t know. I don’t know what/how you did it all.
Your first steps are to confirm the pH numbers with a good, calibrated pH meter, and test for malo progress. Then we can see how to proceed from there.
Daniel
I was ONLY going by the bubbles so I understand that is not the correct conclusion.
I did not add anything other than the Malo bacteria. On the site for white labs it indicated that it was not needed.
I calibrated the meter again and at 73 F the ph was at 3.93
I am hoping that the wine can still be saved. Where can I go from here?
By the way, before you use a tool it is best to practice with it and read ALL of the instructions…..aka your book. I think if anything it is operator error.
Good advice on learning how to use a tool and reading ALL instructions 🙂
So your pH is now in wine pH range, though a bit high but nothing to lose sleep over. You will need to be really careful now and be extra vigilant in protecting your wine against microbes; they thrive at higher pH. That means you need to stay on top of SO2 levels and sulfite additions.
As for your MLF, you really need to test for progress/completion. The longer you wait, the higher the risk of spoilage given the relatively high pH. If it is stuck, you need to decide if you want to take corrective action to get it going again or if you’ll simple leave it as such and carry on, in which case you will need a lysozyme treatment in conjunction with SO2.
Ok. 2 other items then. I think I will go with the second option and kick start it back up. I have NOT added any sulfites or SO2.
What would you recommend for testing to see if MLF is complete?
A paper chromatography kit is your best bet. It’s commonly used for simple and quick determination of MLF progress. It is sold as a kit with the required chemicals and supplies.
HI DANIEL, my Sauv. Blanc wine made from grapes has turned brown and was brown during fermentation. Is there anything I can do to it to clear it up? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
How did that happen? Too much oxygen uptake somewhere, eh?
You’ll need to get the SO2 up to where it should be as a first step, then I would try a casein treatment.
Daniel
Hi Daniel, In making kit wines, should I add Go-ferm to the yeast and fermaid K later as I do when fermenting grape juice? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
No. The kits have been designed/prepared to work exactly as per instructions without the need for supplemental nutrients.
Daniel
So, I got a paper chromatography kit and IF I am reading it correctly there is a strong presence of Lactic acid and very faint presence of Malic acid. So am I best off getting nutrients and jump starting mlf? I could send a scan or photo of the test if need be.
Yes, please scan the chromatogram and I’ll take a look. MLF may have already happened — and may not have completed 100% — based on what you said. Email to Daniel@techniquesinhomewinemaking.com
Hi Daniel,
My white wine that did not go thru MLF probably has lots of malic acid, since the reds that went thru MLF the ph went way up , so should I add Lysozyme now , as I will probably back sweeten some of them? Also I am concerned about stirring up the lees and exposing the wine to oxygen when I open the carboys and stir even though CO2 is added each time and carboys are topped off? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
But you don’t want the white to go through MLF, right? You’ll be sweetening the reds? Am I understanding correctly? Yes, you can add lysozyme; I usually do it with SO2 only. Stirring up the lees actually helps “absorb” oxygen, so you’re ok. The stirring should be gentle anyways.
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
I do not want the whites to go thru MLF. I will not sweeten the reds as they have completed MLF and can’t add Lysozyme, however, I have to top them offf with store bought wines at this point. I am thinking about next year and not putting the reds thru MLF since we have so much malic acid and low tartaric? Is that an undesirable thing to do? Or should I add tartaric acid before primary fermentation even though the ph registers at 3.5 as it did this year and after MLF went up to 4.1? Or I could try to keep the night time temperature a little higher in the vineyard (greenhouse) so the tartaric acid does not become reduced?:
Mike,
I think you really need to confirm what the ratio of tartaric to malic acid is before you make such decisions. That may be beyond your test capabilities, so you should consider the services of a wine lab. Only then can you decide what’s the best course of action re. MLF. It is also about style, not just reducing acid. Yes, if malic acid is indeed that high, add tartaric acid at crush and then do an MLF to reduce TA and bring your pH back up. You’re not going to be able to affect tartaric acid in the vineyard; malic yes, not tartaric.
Daniel
Hi Daniel. I just had a question about the use of Chitosan and Kieselsol. I used the two envelope fining agent according to the instructions for some off dry Riesling, some sweet Riesling and a White Zinfandel. Before fining, the wines looked fairly clear but looked like they could use some polish. Envelope B of the finings was dissolved in a little water and added about three days ago. I noticed that the white Zinfandel cleared beautifully after one day but the Riesling batches are still very cloudy. Am I being impatient or should I take some other action?
Thanks.
Hi Vince,
You’re being impatient. 3 days is nothing. The minimum time a fining agent needs is 2-3 weeks, some much longer. It depends on the fining agent, wine chemistry. and temperature. Even if a wine seems clear in 1, 2, 3 or even 7 days, I say wait 2 weeks minimum. There still some “action” going on even though you might not see it. And again, every wine is different.
Daniel